More Politics News

By Dan Williams and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the United States on Tuesday that it was negotiating a bad deal with Iran that paved the way to a "nuclear nightmare," drawing a rebuke from President Barack Obama and exposing the depth of a U.S.-Israeli rift. Delivering duelling messages within hours of each other, Netanyahu made his case against Obama's Iran diplomacy in a speech to Congress that aligned himself with the president's Republican foes. Obama responded in the Oval Office, declaring in a frustrated tone that Netanyahu offered "nothing new." In its response, the Iranian government denounced Netanyahu's 39-minute speech as "boring and repetitive," the state news agency IRNA said. More »Israel's Netanyahu draws rebuke from Obama over Iran speech to Congress

SELMA, Ala. (AP) — When the nation's first black president steps onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge to honor the marchers beaten there 50 years ago, he'll be standing on a structure that's at once synonymous with the civil rights struggle and a tribute to a reputed Ku Klux Klan leader. More »Civil rights landmark bridge is named for reputed KKK leader

By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Rival Libyan forces carried out tit-for-tat air strikes on oil terminals and an airport on Tuesday, escalating their battle for control of the oil-producing country days before United Nations peace talks are to resume in Morocco. Islamist militants, who have gained ground in Libya's turmoil, on Tuesday also took over Libya's Bahi oil station and the Mabrouk oilfield, after forces guarding the installations were forced to retreat from the empty operations. The United Nations called for hostilities to end before negotiations it hopes will stop fighting between Libya's two rival governments four years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. Oil installations and key infrastructure are prime targets in the conflict, pitting Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni's internationally recognised government against Libya Dawn, the group which took Tripoli last year and formed its own administration. More »Rival Libyan forces carry out air strikes, militants storm oilfield

By Arshad Mohammed MONTREUX, Switzerland (Reuters) - Iran on Tuesday rejected as "unacceptable" U.S. President Barack Obama's demand that it freeze sensitive nuclear activities for at least 10 years but said it would continue talks on a deal, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported. Iran laid out the position as the U.S. and Iranian foreign ministers met for a second day of negotiations and as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a stinging critique of the agreement that they are trying to work out. Iran's Mohammed Javad Zarif and the United States' John Kerry met a day after Obama told Reuters that Iran must commit to a verifiable halt of at least 10 years on sensitive nuclear work for a landmark atomic deal to be reached. "Iran will not accept excessive and illogical demands," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by Fars. More »Iran calls Obama's 10-year nuclear demand 'unacceptable'

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday the chamber was moving toward debate on a bill that would require President Barack Obama to submit any final nuclear deal with Iran for Congress' approval. The White House has said Obama would veto the Iran Nuclear Review Act, which was introduced by Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the panel. More »U.S. Senate moving toward debate on Iran nuclear bill

By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A formal announcement on outlawing the Haqqani militant network, which has been responsible for numerous attacks on U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, it still under consideration, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States said on Tuesday. Pakistani officials said in January that Islamabad had decided to outlaw the militant group and that a formal announcement would come "within weeks". "These are the kind of issues that are in the works, I would say," Jalil Abbas Jilani said at a Washington media roundtable organised by the Christian Science Monitor newspaper, when asked when a formal announcement would be made. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Pakistan in January to fight groups that threaten Afghan, Indian and U.S. interests. More »Haqqani ban still under consideration - Pakistan's U.S. envoy

Iran on Tuesday rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the U.S. Congress on Tehran's nuclear programme as "boring and repetitive, the state news agency IRNA said. In his address, Netanyahu warned U.S. President Barack Obama against negotiating a nuclear agreement with Iran that would be a "countdown to a potential nuclear nightmare" by a country that "will always be an enemy of America". "The speech today by the Zionist regime's prime minister was boring and repetitive ... and part of the hardliners' election campaign in Tel Aviv," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said, IRNA reported. Iran says its nuclear energy programme is solely for civilian purposes, not bombs, and it is in talks with six world powers with an end-June deadline. More »Iran - Netanyahu speech to US Congress on Tehran's nuclear work 'boring and repetitive'

Well, Benjamin Netanyahu certainly knows how to give a speech. Netanyahu believes that Iran is playing the American administration for suckers. Netanyahu doesn't have a plausible, realistic plan to keep Iran from gaining possession of a nuclear weapon. 1. The speech had two targets, and neither one was Ayatollah Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader. More »Netanyahu's Real Targets: President Obama, and the Israeli Swing Voter

Western leaders warned Russia on Tuesday they would step up sanctions if there were further violations of a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, the European Union said. After U.S. President Barack Obama held a video conference with leaders of France, Germany, Britain, Italy and European Council President Donald Tusk, the EU said they had agreed there was a close link between sanctions and the full implementation of the Minsk ceasefire agreements in Ukraine. "Leaders will be ready to decide on further sanctions, if the Minsk agreements are further violated," an EU statement said. The United States and the EU have imposed sanctions on Russia and on Ukrainian separatist leaders over the war in eastern Ukraine. More »EU, U.S. ready to step up sanctions if Ukraine ceasefire violated - EU

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Justice Department investigation will allege sweeping patterns of discrimination within the Ferguson, Missouri, police department and at the municipal jail and court, a law enforcement official familiar with the report said Tuesday. More »Official: US report finds racial bias in Ferguson police

By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - A United Nations envoy called on Israel on Tuesday to investigate the killing of more than 1,500 Palestinian civilians, one third of them children, during the 2014 Gaza war, and to make the findings public. Makarim Wibisono, a former Indonesian ambassador, issued his first report to the U.N. Human Rights Council since becoming its special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories last June. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accused the forum on Monday of being obsessed by allegations of Israeli abuses and said the United States would defend Israel against efforts to isolate it. Israel says it launched the offensive after rocket attacks by militants operating out of the Islamist Hamas-ruled strip. More »Israel must investigate civilian killings in Gaza war - U.N. envoy

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. John Danforth denounced the ugly nature of American politics Tuesday while eulogizing Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich, suggesting that political bullying and an anti-Semitic whisper campaign led his friend to kill himself. More »Danforth cites political bullying in Schweich eulogy

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a major victory for President Barack Obama, the Republican-led House overcame last-minute opposition from GOP critics on Tuesday and moved toward final passage of legislation to fund the Homeland Security Department without restrictions on immigration. More »House nears passage of Homeland bill without conditions